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Paochi to Liupa.- From Paocbi we turned south and entered the mountains again, traversing the district of Fenghsien to Liupat'ing, a small place hidden away on the southern slopes of the Ch'inlingshan. I had hoped to be able to work across from Liupa through the mountains into the Fop'ing neighbourhood, where we had been before earlier in the season; the more so, as information had reached me from a reliable source that people, thinking the coast to be clear after our passage, had recently been going up into the high mountains along the route we had traversed with such difficulty in May in order to plant late opium. But apart from a few recognised trails the Ch'inlingshan are almost impassable at the best of times; and the combination of mountain torrents, swollen by the summer rains, and the unsettled political conditions, consequent on the crisis in the north, made it impracticable to reach Foping from this side. I brought these rumours to the notice of the authorities, who promised to see that the local officials in that neighbourhood, whose vigilance had probably been relaxed after the passage of our party, would spare no efforts to maintain suppression in their districts. But the incident shows the difficulties of suppressing poppy cultivation in Shensi, where no co-operation or help is to be expected from the people, and the dangers of a relapse in future years. We spent a week or so in the districts of Fenghsien and Liupat'ing, which consist of high mountain valleys like those of Fop'ing, and I am fairly confident that no opium will be produced there this year, since there was probably no poppy in the ground at the time of our visit, and it was too late in the year to plant late opium after we had passed through.
Liupa to Kuangyuan. From Liupa we travelled south through the districts of Paoch'eng, Mienhsien, and Ningchiang, and across the mountains, on the Shensi- Szechuan border, to Kuangyuan, in Northern Szechuan, where the inspection terminated.
We entered Shensi from Honan on the 7th April, and left it for Szechuan on the 26th July, during which period we covered about 5,850 Chinese li by road within the borders of the province, most of the way by little-used mule trails, through the mountains. The journey was done, so far as I was concerned, with a small caravan of riding ponies and pack mules, though it was necessary to walk a great deal of the way in the mountains. The Chinese members of the party travelled wherever possible in chairs, but not infrequently they were compelled to walk too. A sketch map of the province showing the route followed is attached.
ERIC TEICHMAN.
Kuangyuan, North Szechuan, July 28, 1917.
(Translation.) Sir,
Enclosure 2 in No. 30.
Wai-chiao Pu to Mr. Alston.
Peking, August 7, 1917.
I HAVE previously informed you, with reference to this year's joint opium inspection, that the joint inspection of Kiangsi, Kuangtung, Kueichow and Kiangsu has been completed, and that these provinces have all been found to be clear of opium. I have now received the following telegram from the Civil Governor of Shensi :-
The joint inspection of this province for opium cultivation has been completed. The inspecting British official has made a most careful search, even the recesses of the hills being personally visited by him, Particulary strict investigation has been made of those districts noted for their production of opium, but no traces of the plant were discovered, and it was recognised that they were all completely free from poppy cultivation. The British official has left Shensi and proceeded to Szechuan. The whole of this province is completely free from poppy cultivation."
Senior clerk Lu Chün, the deputy appointed by this Ministry to take part in the joint inspection, has telegraphed to the same effect.
I have the honour to communicate the above for
(Signed)
• Not reproduced.
your
information,
(On behalf of the M.F.A.),
KAO ERH-CH'IEN.
83
No. 31.
Sir J. Jordan to Mr. Balfour.-(Received December 48.9
Sir,
Peking, November 3. 1917. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith copies of correspondence with the Wai-chiao Pu on the subject of the closing of six provinces to the import of Indian opium.
(Translation,}
Enclosure 1 in No. 31.
Wai-chiao Pu to Sir J. Jordan.
I have, &c.
J. N. JORDAN.
Sir,
Peking, October 16, 1917. WITH reference to joint inspections for opium cultivation carried out this year, I had the honour to communicate with Mr. Alston, as the inspections of Kiangsi, Kuangtung, Kueichow, Kiangsu, and Shensi were completed and the poppy found to be entirely eradicated.
As regards the remaining province of Yunnan, the Wai-chiao Pu received a telegram during May last from the Military Governor of that province, stating that he had instructed the Tengyueh and Pu-Erh Taoyins to proceed with Mr. Eastes. consul at Tengyueh, who was deputed for the purpose by the British Minister, to carry out the inspection as far as Ssumao. On the 1st May, the Governor continued, Mr. Tours, consul at Ichang, had also entered the province from Kueichow and carried out an inspection as far as Lo-Ping in company with Chan Ping-chung, the deputy sent by the I-tung circuit. Both these parties reported that not a bead of poppy was to be seen in the country traversed by them. Mr. Tours, at the time of the Governor's telegram, was proposing to go by way of Shih Ch'iu to inspect the districts under Linhsien, Kaibsien, and Kuanghsien.
As the inspection of the whole province had not been completed, the above telegram was not communicated to you at the time. But a further report has now been received from the special Foreign Affairs deputy for the province, in which be states that all poppy plants have been completely eradicated in the districts under their jurisdiction inspected by the Tengyueh and Pu-Erh Taoyins in company with Mr. Eastes, and that a statement to this effect has been put in by them as proof.
I accordingly have the honour to communicate the above reports for your information, and to request that I may be furnished with a copy of the reports which have no doubt been supplied in detail by Messrs. Eastes and Tours on the completion of the investigation in Yunnan, to enable me to check the statements above mentioned,
(Compliments.)
(For the Minister for Foreign Affairs),
KAO ERH-CHIEN.
Sir,
Enclosure 2 in No. 31.
Sir J. Jordan to Wai-chiao Pu,
Peking, October 19, 1917. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your letter of the 16th October, communi- cating reports from the deputies appointed to carry out the joint inspection of opium cultivation and import of native opium in Eastern and Western Yunnan, and requesting me to furnish you with a copy of the reports supplied by Messrs. Eastes and Tours, the British delegates.
I have the honour to state, in reply, that the question of the closing of the six provinces of Kiangsi. Kuangtung, Kueichow, Kiangsu, Shensi and Yunnan to the import of Indian opium has already been referred to His Majesty's Government for their decision, and on receipt of their instructions I shall not fail to communicate with
your Excellency. In the event of this decision being favourable to the closing
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